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31.5.15

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a teacher at Quebec High School in Quebec City with a proposed project for their arts wing that was in desperate need of a makeover.
Ready for the "before" images?
The murals on the walls were created by students over ten years ago when the school had thought the whole wing would be demolished. So the kids se sont lâchésloose or let loose as we say in proper Quebecois français.
Brace yourself.

The school was ready to breathe some fresh air into the space and have it be of interest on its own while being able to support the students' art work when it would be displayed on the walls. Gallons and gallons of primer and paint were laid down to bid adieu to the chaotic artwork and then we stepped in.
"We" was myself and talented friend, artist and make-up sfx guru Mark Unterberger- who has recently launched himself into the world of industrial and graphic design, so naturally I thought he'd be down with this gig.

With lots of tape, a couple of gallons of a taupey/warm grey and a handful of very enthusiastic students we said goodbye to Tinkerbell and laid down simple graphics to create a calm and open new space for the art wing.

13.5.15

I checked out the multi-disciplinary show Objects Are larger Than They Appear at un un huit un galerie/Off The Hook Gallery to take in some sculptures, installations and a painting or two. The above work by Sam Ries beckoned me, with its minimalist study of scale, texture and material. The large ball was about three feet tall, and despite all my years of gallery-going and knowing one does not "touch the art", all I really wanted to do was drape myself on it.

6.5.15

Almost a year ago I got a sweet surprise in my inbox from the super rad awesome photographic processing peeps VSCO.

...and now lo and behold yet another pleasant email:

Pretty stoked that another image snuck its way into the curated VSCO Grid and as always is in good company!

The above image was taken at the same time I popped in to take in Papier15, an art fair devoted to works on paper. The fair took place on the upper floors of the newly gutted de Gaspé buildings, which ironically used to host a slew of artist studios before the renovations took place. But happy endings may come true: the intent now is to maintain several floors for artists and their work spaces at a fixed rate for the next thirty years!

The ground floor has now become the stunning new home to several of the city's contemporary galleries. Also in a ground floor was an exhibit space dedicated to Cas de Figure, a group show featuring some of UQAM's fine arts graduates. This is where the above stairs beckoned me.